NI in transition after Callaghan captaincy - Platt

Platt was appointed the Irish FA's first director of women's football in September 2021

Irish FA director of women's football Angela Platt says Northern Ireland are determined to ensure their Euros 2022 appearance is not a "one-off", but admits the team are in a period of transition following Marissa Callaghan's decision to step down as captain.

Northern Ireland made their tournament debut at the Euros two years ago under boss Kenny Shiels.

But the team was unable to qualify for last year's World Cup, with ex-Chelsea Women assistant coach Tanya Oxtoby appointed following Shiels' departure in January 2023.

And with Northern Ireland in the midst of a Euro 2025 qualifying campaign, Callaghan stood down as captain earlier this month after eight years wearing the armband.

While Oxtoby is yet to confirm Callaghan's successor, Platt says the Cliftonville midfielder still has an important role to play in the team's future.

"We know that this is a transitional phase and it's important that the players that have been involved in the process and have given their lives to it continue to do so," said Platt.

"Marissa stepping down as captain doesn't change that. She'll still continue to do what Marissa does and compete on the pitch and give everything she can to develop the game.

"She'll help nurture the development of the next phase of players that are coming through, so nothing changes from our perspective, but it's important we give those other players the opportunity to step up and lead."

After a history-making appearance at the European Championship in England, Northern Ireland have struggled for consistency over the past two years.

While their inaugural Nations League campaign under Oxtoby yielded two wins over Albania, they finished third in Group B3 after managing just a point from home and away fixtures against both the Republic of Ireland and Hungary.

Oxtoby's side retained their place in League B for Euro 2025 qualifying with a 3-1 aggregate play-off win over Montenegro, but they could only draw at home to 87th-ranked Malta in their opening qualifier before beating Bosnia-Herzegovina away.

'It's an important window for us'

Northern Ireland now face a double-header against top seeds Portugal over the next two weeks as they bid to reach next year's finals in Switzerland.

"We've certainly got a tough couple of games against Portugal which will really test us in terms of where we're at," said Platt, who was speaking at the launch of the SuperCupNI girls tournament in Newtownabbey on Wednesday.

"But it's really about the process and the standards we're putting in place to ensure the team can grow.

"There's a mix of youth and experience and we're in that transition where we're looking to nurture that talent for the future."

Former international hockey goalkeeper Platt added: "We want to test ourselves against the best teams in Europe and that can only grow our confidence and ability to play those teams in the future.

"It's a really, really important window for us but I'm looking forward to seeing how the players and the staff progress through that as well."